6 Year Surgiversary on Wednesday....

Karen, great suggeation. Brandi, you seem to know what you want and you have realistic goals. I'm really hoping everything works out for you to have revision surgery so that you can get that needed restriction back! Best of luck!

There is the cottage cheese test that will tell you how much capacity you have.

i know many people who did not have surgery and still lose and maintain using Atkins guidelines.  Buy his book and follow it.  It is directly opposite of Dr Garth though.  I believe vegan and meatfree plans only work long term when it is part of a person's culture.  

I would like to eat a 12 ounce steak and enjoy it.  I could do that if I ate slowly enough and ate nothing else.  I might cut that steak into six servings and have a meal every three hours. It is about 600 calories and that gives me another 800 to stay at my 1400 goal.

I do my best with very low carb and lots of dense protein.  Going to the gym will get you fit but will not take weight off.  Only eating less will do that.  Start tracking every bite with My Fitness Pal.  Weight daily and use an accurate scale.

i have accepted that it all comes down to calories.

I understand your being depressed and frustrated. Without insurance, your choices are pretty limited. If you can't do anything about it, does it really matter what size your sleeve is? You can be upset if your sleeve is large, but that's just going to lead to more anger, frustration, and depression.

Working out can help with a lot of things, but it will not help you lose weight. Study after study shows that it just doesn't work. So if exercise won't work, and you can't do anything about your sleeve, the only thing that will help is finding a way to eat less.

I can eat an eight ounce steak with no problem. Restriction is not the thing that keeps the weight off in the long run. Others have made suggestions about making different food choices, and you've lashed out at them. You know you make bad food choices, but continue to blame your sleeve, rather than the choices you make. Sure, it's hard. It's damn hard, and a lot of work. I weigh and log every bit of food I eat. I'd be gaining if I didn't. Gaining a lot.

So rant for a bit longer. Kick the proverbial dog. Shake your fist at your surgeon. Go to the gym and bust a gut. Rail at the insurance system. Then decide if you want to find a way to eat less, be happy at your current weight, or continue being angry. Those seem to be your choices.

Good luck. Really.

Thank you for all that.

the point of all this for me was that I am struggling to eat less... I'm struggling to make good choices... If I could make good choices all the time on my own, I wouldn't have paid for a restrictive surgery. 

I mi know the answers, but it's hard and I am struggling.

Sadly the love of food never goes away.  Good luck, Brandi - I hope you find some motivation - you have come far and succeeded with your addiction and that is something to be very proud of.